Respecting Sacred Beliefs in Healthcare Settings

1. AIAN Religious and Sacred Beliefs

2. Religious Artifacts • Include items such as totem bags, tobacco, hair, pipes, necklaces, bracelets, as well as feathers, beads, etc. • When in hospital, the patient may need these items near the bed. • Hospital staff may consider these to be “dirty” or “unsanitary” and discard them • Some items cannot be touched by anyone other than the patient or healer

3. Religious Artifacts (cont.) • Hospital Nurse provided solution to having artifacts or religious articles with the patient: • Put the article in sterile bag • Betadine® patients outer thigh on muscle tissue • Use sterile surgical tape to tape the bag on the Betadine® area of skin

4. Examples of Religious Items • Avoid using sacred colors • These vary by tribe so you need to ask • NOTE: red is sacred and is reserved for specific uses by several tribal Nations. Yellow by others • Be careful about using clip art or Native symbols as some are sacred • Owls often are viewed as omens of death by some tribes

5. Religious Items (cont.) • Unfortunately some hospitals and public buildings adopted surveillance systems that use owls. Some Natives will not enter such buildings. • Need to identify at least one entrance without an owl and use it in your directions for Natives.

6. Religious Variability • Peyote and Traditional Church is only available in a few regions of the country. • Very strict protocols • Peyote never taken without healer’s supervision in the sacred setting • Many tribes practice organized religion (historically forced to or would not be given food or blankets by Missionaries, etc.

7. Religious Diversity • Even among those tribal Nations that use organized religious practices, many individuals in the tribe continue to also practice traditional Indian medicine. • The combination of organized and traditional Indian medicine is fairly common(see Burhansstipanov L and Hollow W. Native American Cultural Aspects of Nursing Oncology Care. eds. Marlene Z. Cohen Seminars in Oncology Nursing: 2001: 17: 3: 206-219.)

8. Religion and Tobacco • Tobacco is revered in most American Indian cultures • Traditional ceremonies use tobacco • The smoke is used to honor and show respect for the Creator and to ask for His attention to our prayers or ceremony • Tobacco is grown specifically for ceremonies, but when it is not available, manufactured tobacco is used

9. Religion and Tobacco (cont.) • Ceremonial use lacks the dosage, frequency and duration to be considered as addictive tobacco use • Education messages need to distinguish between ceremonial and habitual / addictive tobacco use • Currently no Quit-lines or other cessation programs sensitively address Native use